WORD ORDER AND SENTENCE BUILDING

Word order tells the listener who is involved, what happens, and what the action affects. Crow commonly places the main verb at the end, while prefixes and endings inside the verb can also show the people involved and the kind of action. Noun groups and time or place phrases can be arranged around that central verb pattern.

The final verb may carry person, number, whether an action is ongoing or complete, meaning such as can, must, or will, and information that the sentence is a statement. Noun phrases can include small words or endings that show which noun we mean and words or endings that come after a noun. Because the verb identifies participants, an independently expressed subject may be omitted when context is clear.

To understand a Crow sentence, first find the verb word. A Crow verb can contain several small meaning pieces, so one long word may tell you who acts, who is affected, and whether the clause is being presented as a statement. This is useful because English often uses separate pronouns and helper words where Crow may build the information into the verb.

Next, identify the noun phrases and any time or place expressions around that verb. The examples show a useful beginner habit: keep the complete Crow verb together first, then use the analysis line to see what its parts contribute. Do not translate by moving English words one by one; learn the sentence pattern and the whole verb form together.

Examples:

Basíilaalee xachíiwaak. — I moved my car.

How it is built: bas- (my; alienable possessor) + iilaalee (car) + xachii- (move) + -w- (first-person actor) + -aa- (direct causative) + -k (declarative ending) -> Basíilaalee xachíiwaak.

Iichíhk awaasúua bilíchiilik. — He went back in the house first.

How it is built: Iichíhk (first) + awaasúua (house) + bilíchiili (go back inside / to reenter) + -k (declarative ending) -> Iichíhk awaasúua bilíchiilik.

Hinne iichíilesh háhookaate alapeék — This horse slowly kicked him.

How it is built: Hinne (this) + iichíile (horse) + -sh (definite determiner) + háhookaate (slowly) + alapeé (kick him) + -k (declarative ending) -> Hinne iichíilesh háhookaate alapeék.

Hinne bíash hileen bachéesh xaxúa áxpam. — This woman married all these men.

How it is built: Hinne (this) + bía (woman) + -sh (definite determiner) + hileen (these) + bachée (men) + -sh (definite determiner) + xaxúa (all) + áxpam (married) -> Hinne bíash hileen bachéesh xaxúa áxpam.

Balé dáaskeen awáachik. — He sat at the edge of the woods.

How it is built: Balé (wood / tree) + dáaskeen (shore / bank) + awáachi (he/she sat) + -k (declarative ending) -> Balé dáaskeen awáachik.

MAKING POSITIVE STATEMENTS

A positive statement presents something as true, real, or happening. It normally gives a person or thing and then says what that person or thing does, has, or is. The language may show the person, time, number, or kind of action in a verb ending, a prefix, a separate word, or the sentence order.

At beginner level, first identify the final main verb or phrase and then work leftward. Locate the noun groups, time expressions, and place words before interpreting parts that build a word inside the verb.

A positive statement tells the listener that the speaker is presenting information as true or current. In Crow, the sentence can contain a noun phrase, a description, a time expression, and a complex verb, but the final verb form often carries the statement meaning. That is why the last part of the verb deserves attention before you translate the rest of the sentence.

The statement ending is not a separate English word such as *is* or *does*. It is part of the Crow word. Learn the ending with the full form, because other endings can show a different kind of statement or a different source of information.

Pattern: [statement base] + -k. Scope: this is the regular declarative pattern illustrated by the -k examples in this subsection; other declarative endings have different meanings.

Examples:

Basahké biiíchisshik. — My mother loves me.

How it is built: b- (my; possessor prefix) + asahké (mother) + bii- (first-person object: me) + ichisshi (love) + -k (declarative ending) -> Basahké biiíchisshik.

Aasúua shíilihchek. — He made his house yellow.

How it is built: Aasúua (his house) + shíilihche (he made it yellow) + -k (declarative ending) -> Aasúua shíilihchek.

Dakáake ditúuk. — The birds are singing.

How it is built: Dakáake (bird / hen) + ditúu (the birds sing / are singing) + -k (declarative ending) -> Dakáake ditúuk.

Bulúxe hinne bilichkéeh. — There was ice on this lake.

How it is built: Bulúxe (ice) + hinne (this) + bilichkéeh (lake; in this sentence, the lake named by the noun phrase) -> Bulúxe hinne bilichkéeh.

Ashé áake sáhkak. — There's a hole in the roof.

How it is built: Ashé (house / dwelling) + áake (above / top) + sáhka (have a hole / opening) + -k (declarative ending) -> Ashé áake sáhkak.

Ítchilaawik. — You did it well.

How it is built: Ítchilaawi (be good / to be well) + -k (declarative ending) -> Ítchilaawik.

Awákaak. — I see.

How it is built: Awákaa (I see / I saw) + -k (declarative ending) -> Awákaak.

Daxpitchéem awákaak. — I saw a bear.

How it is built: Daxpitchée (bear) + -m (determiner) + awákaa (I see / I saw) + -k (declarative ending) -> Daxpitchéem awákaak.

Úuxkaashim íkaak. — He saw an antelope.

How it is built: Úuxkaashi (antelope) + -m (determiner) + íkaa (he/she saw) + -k (declarative ending) -> Úuxkaashim íkaak.

MAKING NEGATIVE STATEMENTS

A negative statement says that something is not true, does not happen, or should not happen. The negative meaning may be carried by a separate word, a verb ending, or a change inside the verb. The negative form must still match the person, time, and kind of action in the statement being denied.

Negation can be part of a verb, main verb or phrase, or derived expression. Learn the whole dictionary form instead of attaching a free-standing English-like word for ‘not.’ Number and surrounding word-building can affect the final form.

The negative ending -ssaa means ‘not’ or ‘no.’ Its plural negative counterpart is -ssuu.

A negative form does more than add an English-style word meaning “not.” In the regular patterns shown here, negative meaning is built into the Crow form, and the rest of the word still has to show the right person, action, and statement type. This matters because a learner cannot safely make a negative sentence by placing *not* beside a memorized Crow verb.

The singular negative material -ssaa and the plural negative material -ssuu are related, but they are not interchangeable. Read the whole form from the dictionary and compare it with the person and number in the sentence before choosing one.

Pattern: [verb base] + -ssaa + -k. Scope: this represents the regular singular negative statement pattern; plural negative forms in the examples use -ssuu instead of -ssaa.

Examples:

Éehkuhtee baahamneetak. — There's nothing over there.

How it is built: Éehkuhtee (right over there) + baahamneeta (nothing / nobody) + -k (declarative ending) -> Éehkuhtee baahamneetak.

Iáhaahak áxpak déewiassaak. — He doesn't want to have anything to do with them.

How it is built: Iáhaahak (want nothing to do with someone / to reject someone) + áxpak (with them; part of the fixed negative expression) + déewia (not want to join / to be reluctant to join) + -ssaa- (negative: not) + -k (declarative ending) -> Iáhaahak áxpak déewiassaak.

Biissaak biiiháak. — It was not me; it was someone else.

How it is built: Biissaak (it was not me) + biiiháa (be other / to be foreign) + -k (declarative ending) -> Biissaak biiiháak.

Biishíassaaimmaachik. — I won't be long.

How it is built: biishí- (be long) + -ssaa- (negative: not) + -immaachi- (future: will) + -k (declarative ending) -> Biishíassaaimmaachik.

Bíliiwaxpissaak. — The sun has not set.

How it is built: Bíliiwaxpi (sunset / the sun setting) + -ssaa- (negative: not) + -k (declarative ending) -> Bíliiwaxpissaak.

It áxxaashe asíissaak — As yet the sun had not appeared.

How it is built: It (still / yet) + áxxaashe (sun) + asíi (appear) + -ssaa- (negative: not) + -k (declarative ending) -> It áxxaashe asíissaak.

Hinne awám ítchikaasheesh awíhchiss baaléewisshissaak. — I am not ready to leave this beautiful land.

How it is built: Hinne (this) + awá (land) + -m (determiner) + ítchikaashee (beautiful) + -sh (definite determiner) + awíhchiss (leave something or someone behind / to go without something or someone) + baaléewisshi (ready to leave) + -ssaa- (negative: not) + -k (declarative ending) -> Hinne awám ítchikaasheesh awíhchiss baaléewisshissaak.

Biiwáheelak. — I'm not good enough.

How it is built: biiwáheela (I am not good enough) + -k (declarative ending) -> Biiwáheelak.

Bishéesh awákaassaak. — I did NOT see the buffalo.

How it is built: Bishée (buffalo) + -sh (definite determiner) + awákaa- (see it) + -ssaa- (negative: not) + -k (declarative ending) -> Bishéesh awákaassaak.

Bítxua buushíssaak. — No, I did NOT eat onion.

How it is built: Bítxua (onion) + buushí- (eat it) + -ssaa- (negative: not) + -k (declarative ending) -> Bítxua buushíssaak.

Bilishpíte ishbíissaak. — No, I did not drink coffee.

How it is built: Bilishpíte (coffee) + ishbíi- (drink it) + -ssaa- (negative: not) + -k (declarative ending) -> Bilishpíte ishbíissaak.

FORMING QUESTIONS

A question asks for information or checks whether something is true. Yes/no questions ask for confirmation, while information questions ask for a person, thing, place, time, reason, or way. The language shows the question through word order, a question word, a special ending, or a combination of these.

Crow questions are not made by one single rule that can be added to every statement. First decide what kind of answer you need. A yes/no question asks whether the whole statement is true, while an information question asks for one missing person, thing, place, time, reason, or choice. This choice tells you which question form to look for.

Keep the people and action clear before you focus on the question. In the examples, the same verb-building system still matters: a question can contain person marking, an action stem, and other word parts. The question form changes the purpose of the sentence, not the need to understand the whole verb.

Yes/No and Confirmation Questions

A yes/no question checks whether a statement is true and normally expects an answer such as yes or no. The language may keep the ordinary statement order, change the verb ending, or use a special question form. The person, time, and action remain part of the question even when the answer is very short.

A yes/no question asks the listener to confirm or reject a complete idea. Begin by finding the action and the people involved, then notice how the question is signalled in the full Crow sentence. The safest beginner method is to learn each question form as a complete pattern rather than trying to attach English word order to it.

There is no single formula here because the examples use more than one question shape. What remains constant is the meaning: the speaker is asking whether the statement is true, and the person, time, and action still belong to the verb form.

Examples:

Koolíiash diiawéeleela? — Were you outside all that time?

How it is built: Koolíiash (all the time / all that time) + diiawéeleela (were you outside) -> Koolíiash diiawéeleela?

Saskáat báalaaimmachik hée? — Winter is coming soon, isn't it?

How it is built: Saskáat (soon / early) + báalaaimmachik (winter will come / winter is coming) + hée (tag question: isn't it?) -> Saskáat báalaaimmachik hée?

Íilawe bíakaate élahche? — Do you know that girl who is going by?

How it is built: Íilawe (that one going by) + bíakaate (girl) + élahche (know something or someone) -> Íilawe bíakaate élahche?

Dísbalaakaatbishi? — Do you have any money? (lit., 'does your money exist?')

How it is built: dís- (your) + balaakaate (money) + -bishi (does it exist; do you have it) -> Dísbalaakaatbishi?

Ammalapáshkuuassdalee? Baaleetáa. — “Did you go to Billings?” “No.”

How it is built: Ammalapáshkuua (Billings) + -ss- (goal: to / toward) + -da- (you go) + -lee (interrogative ending) + Baaleetáa (no) -> Ammalapáshkuuassdalee? Baaleetáa.

Bimmaáhchii? — Is it green?

How it is built: bimmaáhchiia (dictionary) -> bimmaáhchii- (stem: it is green) + ? (question; no -k) -> Bimmaáhchii?

Shipíta? — Is it black?

How it is built: shipíte (dictionary) -> shipíta- (stem: it is black) + ? (question; no -k) -> Shipíta?

Hísshi? — Is it red?

How it is built: hísshe (dictionary) -> hísshi- (stem: it is red) + ? (question; no -k) -> Hísshi?

Shúa? — Is it blue?

How it is built: shúa (dictionary) -> shúa- (stem: it is blue) + ? (question; no -k) -> Shúa?

Chía? — Is it white?

How it is built: chía (dictionary) -> chía- (stem: it is white) + ? (question; no -k) -> Chía?

Ilúke dilúshi? — Did you eat meat?

How it is built: Ilúke (meat) + dilúshi (eat something) -> Ilúke dilúshi?

Bítxua dilúshi? — Did you eat onion?

How it is built: Bítxua (onion) + dilúshi (did you eat it) -> Bítxua dilúshi?

Dalíishi? — Are you hungry?

How it is built: alíishe (dictionary) -> dalíishi- (you-form: hungry) + ? (question; no -k) -> Dalíishi?

Diíwakachi? — Are you thirsty?

How it is built: iíwakache (dictionary) -> diíwakachi- (you-form: thirsty) + ? (question; no -k) -> Diíwakachi?

Balóowappe awúuala? — Is it inside the box?

How it is built: Balóowappe (box) + awúuala (be inside of something) -> Balóowappe awúuala?

Balóowappe héeleela? — Is it among the boxes?

How it is built: Balóowappe (box) + héeleela (be among / be located among) -> Balóowappe héeleela?

Balóowappe alaxtúala? — Is it between the boxes?

How it is built: Balóowappe (box) + alaxtúala (between close objects / within tight places) -> Balóowappe alaxtúala?

Hileen baaaxúassee alákaa? — Do you see these clothes?

How it is built: Hileen (these) + baaaxúassee (clothes) + alákaa (you see) -> Hileen baaaxúassee alákaa?

Akían baaaxúassee alákaa? — Do you see those clothes?

How it is built: Akían (those) + baaaxúassee (clothes) + alákaa (you see) -> Akían baaaxúassee alákaa?

Information Questions

An information question asks for one missing piece of information, such as a person, thing, place, time, reason, or choice. The question word takes the place of that missing information, while the rest of the sentence keeps the language pattern. The form of the question word may also change to show its role in the sentence.

An information question asks for one missing part of a message. The question word stands where the missing information belongs, while the rest of the clause tells you what action or situation is being asked about. This is useful for everyday questions about people, objects, places, time, reasons, and choices.

Do not translate the English question word first and guess the remaining Crow words. Instead, decide what information is missing, identify the known action and participants, and then learn the whole Crow question pattern shown by the examples.

Examples:

Sáakdaa? — What did you say?

How it is built: Sáak- (what) + -daa (did you say; question form) -> Sáakdaa?

Dáasuua ko? — Where is your house?

How it is built: Dáasuua (your house) + ko (where is it) -> Dáasuua ko?

Sáapam sheeláa? — Why do you say that?

How it is built: Sáapam (why) + sheeláa (do you say that) -> Sáapam sheeláa?

Disahkáale dáashe saakiío? — What is your grandmother's name?

How it is built: Disahkáale (your grandmother) + dáashe (her name) + saakiío (what is she called) -> Disahkáale dáashe saakiío?

Díilapxe alaháchke shóohkaachi? — About how tall is your father?

How it is built: Díilapxe (your father) + alaháchke (his height) + shóohkaachi (about how tall) -> Díilapxe alaháchke shóohkaachi?

Ammaachimmé shóohkaalee? — How far did he go in school?

How it is built: Ammaachimmé (in school) + shóohkaalee (how far did he go) -> Ammaachimmé shóohkaalee?

John kuss hilíasheek sáapass daluúo? — John said this to them, "why did you come?"

How it is built: John (John) + kuss (to them) + hilíasheek (he said this) + sáapass (why) + daluúo (did you all come) -> John kuss hilíasheek sáapass daluúo?

Sáapalakaa? — What do you see?

How it is built: Sáap- (what) + alakaa (do you see) -> Sáapalakaa?

Búupcheesh shóohteela? — Where is the ball?

How it is built: Búupchee (ball) + -sh (definite determiner) + shóohteela (where is it located) -> Búupcheesh shóohteela?

Hinné sáapa? — What is this?

How it is built: Hinné (this) + sáapa (what is it) -> Hinné sáapa?

Éehk sáapa? — What is that?

How it is built: Éehk (that) + sáapa (what is it) -> Éehk sáapa?

Sáapchichee? — What does it look like?

How it is built: Sáap- (what) + -chichee (does it look like) -> Sáapchichee?

NOUNS: NUMBER AND NOUN CLASSES

A noun is a word for a person, animal, thing, or place. Noun forms can show meanings such as one or more than one, a person or thing being affected, or a close connection to another word. These details help the listener understand how each noun fits into the sentence.

The older descriptions summarize plural formation with a plural ending and accompanying vowel or consonant changes. The current dictionary prints plural forms and should be consulted for each noun, especially where spelling changes are not predictable from the basic dictionary form.

bacheé / bacheéo — man / men

bía / bíio — woman / women

bishké / bishkúu — dog / dogs

iichíile / iichíiluua — horse / horses

A noun names a person, animal, place, object, or idea, but in Crow its surrounding forms can also tell the listener whether the noun is definite, possessed, counted, affected by an action, or part of a larger expression. These details are useful because they help the listener identify exactly which person or thing is meant.

Do not assume that English plural spelling gives a ready-made Crow plural rule. Learn a noun with the forms and words that commonly go with it. When a sentence contains a number, a determiner, or a possession form, first identify the noun and then see how the added material narrows its meaning.

Examples:

Baakáatkaate baaló kúuok. — The children gave beads.

How it is built: Baakáatkaate (toddler) + baaló (bead) + kúuo (they gave) + -k (declarative ending) -> Baakáatkaate baaló kúuok.

Baakáatuum ammaachimmúua biléeluuk. — Some children entered the school.

How it is built: Baakáatu (children) + -um (plural determiner) + ammaachimmúua (school) + biléeluu (enter something) + -k (declarative ending) -> Baakáatuum ammaachimmúua biléeluuk.

Xaxúa bacheéo bíaleetak. — All were men; there were no women.

How it is built: Xaxúa (all) + bacheéo (men) + bíaleeta (there were no women) + -k (declarative ending) -> Xaxúa bacheéo bíaleetak.

Hileen shikáakkaateesh isaashkakaásuua dáawiikaashik. — These boys have three dogs.

How it is built: Hileen (these) + shikáakkaatee (boys) + -sh (definite determiner) + isaashkakaásuua (dogs) + dáawiikaashi (three) + -k (declarative ending) -> Hileen shikáakkaateesh isaashkakaásuua dáawiikaashik.

Húuleesh bachée iilápuum báasheem awúualuum. — Yesterday two men were in a boat.

How it is built: Húuleesh (yesterday) + bachée (man) + iilápu (two) + -um (plural determiner) + báasheem (boat / ship) + awúualuum (inside) -> Húuleesh bachée iilápuum báasheem awúualuum.

Iilúpta ashiilúupeeluuk. — Both of them were in the other room.

How it is built: Iilúpta (both) + ashiilúupeeluu (the other room / the next room) + -k (declarative ending) -> Iilúpta ashiilúupeeluuk.

Xaxúa bulíhcheiluk. — They say all are male.

How it is built: Xaxúa (all) + bulí (they are male) + -hcheilu- (reported information: it is said) + -k (declarative ending) -> Xaxúa bulíhcheiluk.

Iichíile ahúk. — There are many horses.

How it is built: Iichíile (horses) + ahú (many exist / there are many) + -k (declarative ending) -> Iichíile ahúk.

Bacheé shoopák. — There are four men.

How it is built: Bacheé (man) + shoopá (there are four) + -k (declarative ending) -> Bacheé shoopák.

Iichíimmishik. — There are horses.

How it is built: Iichíimmishi (there are horses) + -k (declarative ending) -> Iichíimmishik.

Basbítchiia dúupak. — I have two knives.

How it is built: Basbítchiia (my knives) + dúupa (two) + -k (declarative ending) -> Basbítchiia dúupak.

Basáashke dáawiik. — I have three horses.

How it is built: bas- (my) + áashke (horses) + dáawii (three) + -k (declarative ending) -> Basáashke dáawiik.

DETERMINERS

A determiner is a small word or ending that comes with a noun and helps identify it. It can show whether the noun is one or more than one, known or new, near or far, or connected to a particular person. Some languages use an article for these meanings, while others use endings or context.

The ending -m is an indefinite specific determiner: it introduces one particular thing that is new in the conversation. The ending -(ee)m is an indefinite nonspecific determiner: it means ‘some’ when the thing is not yet identified.

Determiners help a listener decide whether a noun is already identifiable, is being introduced for the first time, or is meant less specifically. In Crow they are often suffixes attached to a noun, so they are easy to miss if you read only for the larger word. Their job is similar to part of what English *the*, *a*, and *some* do, but the match is not one word for one word.

Choose the determiner only after you know what the speaker expects the listener to recognize. A known, identifiable thing calls for a different form from a particular new thing or an unspecified one. This contrast explains why two English translations that both use *a* may require different Crow forms.

Pattern: [noun] + -sh / -m / -(ee)m. Scope: these are the definite, indefinite-specific, and indefinite-nonspecific suffix patterns shown in the morphology guide; use the full dictionary form when the noun changes shape.

Examples:

Joesh annaachíssache hinne bacheé koók. — This man is replacing Joe.

How it is built: Joe (Joe) + -sh (definite determiner) + annaachíssache (be substituting for / to be filling in for) + hinne (this) + bacheé (man) + koó (is / is the one; copular focus form) + -k (declarative ending) -> Joesh annaachíssache hinne bacheé koók.

Hinne bíash hileen bachéesh xaxúa áxpam. — This woman married all these men.

How it is built: Hinne (this) + bía (woman) + -sh (definite determiner) + hileen (these) + bachée (men) + -sh (definite determiner) + xaxúa (all) + áxpam (married) -> Hinne bíash hileen bachéesh xaxúa áxpam.

Hinné bachípeesh attéek. — She sharpened this digging stick to a point.

How it is built: Hinné (this) + bachípeesh (digging stick / root digger) + attée (sharpen something) + -k (declarative ending) -> Hinné bachípeesh attéek.

Íimma bacheé isaashkakaáshe ittak baatcháachik. — That man who just left has a very good dog.

How it is built: Íimma (that) + bacheé (man) + isaashkakaáshe (dog) + ittak (who just left) + baatcháachi (has a very good one) + -k (declarative ending) -> Íimma bacheé isaashkakaáshe ittak baatcháachik.

Hinne bacheém akóoppiiash isbilée awássdeem. — The fire of this man who was smoking was burning down.

How it is built: Hinne (this) + bacheém (man) + akóoppiiash (smoker / someone who smokes) + isbilée (his fire) + awássdeem (was burning down) -> Hinne bacheém akóoppiiash isbilée awássdeem.

Cultural Tip: Crow determiners attach to nouns and help speakers track whether a referent is definite or specific. Learn them inside complete noun phrases rather than treating them as separate English-style articles.

PRACTICE SECTION

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in each blank with the correct Crow word or form based on what you learned.

1- Daxpitchéem ________. — I saw a bear.

2- Hinne iichíile___ háhookaate alapeék. — This horse kicked him slowly.

True/False

Read each statement carefully and decide whether it is True or False.

1- A useful beginner default is to expect the verb near the end of a Crow clause.

2- Crow nouns are divided into masculine and feminine grammatical genders.

Translation

Translate each English sentence into Crow.

1- There are many horses.

2- Where is your house?